Non-alcoholic pairings are in: Where to go for a light-hearted tasting dinner?
"Why don't you drink?" That's the question teetotalers used to answer all the time. Fortunately, it is now quite common for some people to abstain or consume alcohol only on rare occasions. Catering establishments are responding to this positive trend, and the drinks menu is increasingly are expanding the category of non-alcoholic beverages.
In addition to water, classic sweetened drinks, lemonades or juices, you can also order so-called mocktails, i.e. non-alcoholic cocktails. The desire for to drink with a clear head is naturally reflected in the non-alcoholic pairings found on tasting menus.
You will encounter this concept from the beginning in the tasting restaurant Štangl, where delicious soft drinks are prepared by Simona Krmelová and Jakub Bajer. However, it is also offered by other renowned restaurants such as La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise, Field or Olomouc's Entrée.
Increased demand for non-alcoholic pairings was also heard at the beginning of July by restaurant Marie B. "We don't have exact numbers yet, but I would say that the a quarter of the guests chose the non-alcoholic option," estimates Vojtěch Mrázek, general manager Marie B.
(Un)ordinary fruit juices and fermentations
Non-alcoholic pairings can take many forms. In some companies, the play with drinks based on non-alcoholic spirits, others work with fruit juices or fermented drinks. In Michelin-starred La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise fruit and vegetable juices made in-house are an integral part of the pairing.
Once every two to three months, the team from La Degu locks themselves in the cellar with fruits, vegetables, herbs and nuts, where they juice and macerate. They then invent and test new flavour combinations. Their non-alcoholic pairings are always in line with the season and the locality, just like the menu here.
The Marie B restaurant found inspiration from its "big sister" La Degustation. "We offer our guests fruit and vegetable juices that we combine in different ways to enrich their taste profiles, such as spiciness. The non-alcoholic drinks are tuned to resemble wine pairings in their characteristics. This means that even a soft drink has body, acids and stone fruitiness," explains Vojtěch Mrázek.
Contrast and harmony
When pairing food with non-alcoholic beverages there are certain rules that are worth respecting. "We have tested that the contrast of sweet and sour works well with desserts. So we currently serve untreated cherry juice with dessert, which is distinctive in its taste and acidity, which balances the sweet taste of the dessert beautifully," says Mrázek.
He also adds that the non-alcoholic pairing is an imprint of the ingredients from which the individual courses are prepared. "For example, with the fish with roasted fennel we offer apple juice with toasted fennel seeds". This just so happens to be Vojtěch Mrázek's favourite drink from the non-alcoholic pairing. Whichever beverage you try in the non-alcoholic pairing at Marie B, you can be sure of one thing - you won't find white sugar in the ingredients.
"If we need to boost the sweet taste, we add cider vinegar. On the other hand, if we are tuning the acids, we reach for the juice of unripe grapes, which is very acidic. Even when we try to fine-tune the taste of the drink in our image, we always use natural helpers," emphasises Vojtěch Mrázek.
And how do they approach non-alcoholic pairing in Štangl Tasting Restaurant? In cocktail form. Drinks are harmoniously complemented with the dishes served - the ingredients that the chefs use in the dishes are always reflected in the drinks in some way..
"We also play with textures. If there is a cheese mousse in a dish, for example, we use creamier whey in the drink. We ferment a lot, drawing on historical recipes and processes, using essences from our own distillation column. We take inspiration from foreign cultures, and just like in the kitchen, we focus on local ingredients - for example, when preparing kombucha, instead of black tea imported from far away, we process oak bark or leaves from birch or walnut trees," explains barista Jakub Bajer.
Other non-alcoholic options
In addition to fruit and vegetable juices you can also taste grape cider at Maria B. "We get it from a winemaker from Austria, who pasteurises the grape juice to prevent it from fermenting. The grape must then has a distinct sweet taste and acidity. At the same time, we try to add value to this drink by making it fizzy with the help of a soda bottle," says Vojtěch Mrázek.
In the future, however, Marie B is preparing for the fact that all soft drinks will be based on their own production. "We plan to push the boundaries of our pairing further. At the moment, however, we agree that we want to keep the drinks simple, based on one or two ingredients and pure juices that complement and don't overpower each other," concludes the general manager.
Who's behind the non-alcoholic pairings?
While non-alcoholic pairings at Štangl are the responsibility of Simona and Jakub, at Marie B it is a team effort. "Together, we try to come up with combinations that could work. We then try them out and evaluate whether to include the drink in the pairing," explains Mrázek. Anyone on the Marie B team has the opportunity to come up with a new flavour combination and prepare a drink for their colleagues. "If we like it, we'll be happy to add it to the menu," he adds.
